“It’s been the most fulfilling time of my life.”
Leo Varadkar has announced that he is stepping down as Taoiseach and leader of Fine Gael, the latter effective immediately.
Follow along to the announcement with our live blog below.
Mr Varadkar made the announcement just after midday in the courtyard of government buildings, with senior Fine Gael party leaders behind him.
The Irish Independent reported that a “political earthquake” was due to be announced at midday on Wednesday, March 20.
The reports said that “frantic meetings” had been going on in government buildings in recent days, and conversations had been had over the leadership of Fianna Gael, focusing on Varadkar, Simon Coveney and Paschal Donohoe.
Despite some speculation earlier in the day, the announcement won’t have anything to do with a general election date. The coalition government currently has around 12 months left of their office term, with a general election scheduled for 2025.
Live: Leo Varadkar to make major government announcement
The government took a major hit earlier this month, when the Family and Care referendums were both comprehensively rejected by the Irish public.
The Taoiseach admitted that the government had “failed” to convince the public in their Yes/Yes campaign, describing it as suffering “two wallops”.
“As head of Government, on behalf of the Government, we accept responsibility for the results,” Varadkar said, speaking at Dublin Castle after the votes were counted.
Read more:
Taoiseach admits “two wallops” for government after referendum rejection
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